Pet Sematary Remake Will Be R-Rated Promises Directors

While we can’t be fully sure what all to expect quite yet from the new Pet Sematary, the recently-released trailer gives us a pretty good idea. Like Mary Lambert’s 1989 film of the same name, the movie is based on the popular Stephen King novel, and has fans of the author particularly excited. For anyone unfamiliar with the story, the plot focuses on a cursed burial plot which brings those buried there back to life, but with horrific results. As possibly the darkest of all of King’s literary works, most would expect the film to be given an R rating, and this includes its directors Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer. While not official, Widmyer recently spoke about the film’s content, and seems rather sure we’ll be getting that rating.

“It’s a dark f**king movie. It’s Pet Sematary, this is not… a lot of Stephen King’s work is, I love it, it’s sentimental. The good guys win. Even at the end of The Shining, Wendy marries Dick Halloran, people forget that, that’s not in the movie, but Stephen King has a heart. And a lot of his work has a heart. This one… he like put in a drawer for a like a year and he felt really disturbed by what he had written. So, you have to make that story.”

In the film, Jason Clarke plays the patriarch of the Creed family, Louis, whose world is turned upside down after a recent move. Along with his wife Rachel (Amy Seimetz) and daughter Ellie (Jeté Laurence), Louis sees the family’s world turn upside down when son Gage (Hugo and Lucas Lavoie) is lost to a preventable accident. Louis is completely distraught when neighbor Jud (John Lithgow) tells him about a local cemetery which brings those buried there back from the dead, leading to the choice to bury Gage there. Although Gage returns, he’s now completely evil, looking to violently kill anyone he can get his little hands on.

With such a dark story compounded with the bloody violence, an R rating seems natural for the film. Producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura also says he’d be “genuinely shocked” if that’s not the ratings given. Additionally, it was revealed that a PG-13 rating had never even been discussed with the studio, so no efforts have been made to keep things light. This is for the best, as a plot so dark just wouldn’t be able to work under the confines of a limited rating.

The first official Pet Sematary trailer, which was only just recently released, gives fans a glimpse at how gloomy this remake will be. Those who know the story will know what’s coming, and some of the most horrific moments from the plot are teased in the trailer. While quite different from the 1989 film, the movie still appears to be very faithful to the original novel by Stephen King.

Pet Sematary will come out in theaters everywhere on April 5, 2019. Presumably, the film will have an R rating attached to it, but stand by for the official word. Either way, its tragically compelling story might be hard to watch, especially for parents. This information comes to us from Bloody Disgusting.

Check Also

For years now, the debate has raged on whether or not Die Hard is a bonafide Christmas movie. This year, more than yuletides past, many have come out of the woodwork to constantly prove that Bruce Willis’ ultimate action classic should be celebrated as a worthy holiday entry throughout the month of December. So far, ...